Conventional roller assemblies comprise a cylindrical tube which rotates with respect to a shaft by means of bearings.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,308 (Jean-Pierre Gagnon), issued Jul. 18, 1995 and titled “Roller Assembly and Method For Manufacturing the Same” and International patent application WO 2007/112553 (Jean-Pierre Gagnon), published Oct. 11, 2007 and titled “Cellular Encasement Protection System for Roller Assembly” both teach roller assemblies comprising an axle extending therethrough, a bearing at either extremity mounted to the axle, and a casing means for enclosing and sealing the bearings.
It would be advantageous to provide a roller assembly which is easier to manufacture, which can be made from a range of materials, which can be made form lighter materials and which is more reliable.